Catalog

Accountability in Action: A Comprehensive Guide to Charter School Closure

This guide provides authorizers with information on how to support students and families through the closure process.

Addressing Data Gaps During a Pandemic

Our accountability guidance provides insight for authorizers and charter schools to prioritize student success. Together, we can ensure that students learn, no matter the circumstance. Access our resource.

Addressing Data Gaps During a Pandemic Toolkit

Addressing Data Gaps During a Pandemic Workbook

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Anecdotes Aren’t Enough: An Evidence-Based Approach to Accountability For Alternative Charter Schools

Annual Reports Made Easy

A guide to creating an annual performance report for all schools in your portfolio.

Application Evaluation Criteria

An overview of how to evaluate a charter school application’s educational programming, operations, and finances.

Application Process and Decision Making

A guide to making decisions about application approval and suggestions for a strong overall application process.

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Authorizer Practices: What’s Working and What’s Not

This report provides a thematic qualitative analysis of 50 authorizer evaluations NACSA has completed since 2009. It identifies common strengths and weaknesses and provides empirically-based and detailed findings on specific practices authorizers use.

Authorizers Are Not Monolithic On School Discipline: How Charter School Authorizers Differ in School Discipline

This report further examines NACSA’s data on authorizer perspectives and practices on school discipline. While the big picture demonstrated a range of approaches and perspectives, each authorizer’s individual responses appeared to reveal some patterns.

Authorizer’s Guide To Transparency

Defines transparency for charter authorizers and identifies opportunities to be more transparent throughout the chartering process.

Autonomy Self-Evaluation Tool for Authorizers

Utilize this survey tool to facilitate reflective conversations among your staff and stakeholders (including schools you oversee) about school autonomy and authorizer oversight.

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Beyond the Fringe: Charter Authorizing as Enrollment Grows

Charter schools began on the fringe of the public school landscape. As enrollment grows and charters serve more and more students in many cities, the ways students and families navigate all public schools is also changing.

Call For Reviewers Template

An adaptable form to ensure a request for reviewers that yields high quality, expert applicants.

Capacity Interview Opening Script Template

A template to standardize the opening and framing of capacity interviews.

Capacity Interview Preparation Form

An adaptable form to prioritize issues or concerns from application review findings in capacity interviews.

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Capacity Interview Training for Evaluators

Sample powerpoint to align evaluators on criteria for capacity interviews.

Capacity Interviews 101

One-page overview of the basics of the interview process.

Charter School Applicant Interview Guidance

A guide to the process of applicant interviews including how to prepare, hold, and follow up on interviews.

Charter School Model Contract

NACSA’s model contract between an authorizer and charter school.

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Closing the DEI Gap in Authorizing

A resource for authorizers committed to improving their work cultures and making authorizing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive field.

Closure Action Plan Guide

A sample action plan for school closure including a suggested timeframe for each action.

Closure Communications Toolkit

The closure of a school requires thoughtful communication. This toolkit contains workplans and templates to ensure the appropriate messages are reaching the right audience, consistently and in a timely manner, throughout the entire closure process.

Closure Communications Workplan

Use this workplan to organize your closure communications tasks around three critical timeframes: before the vote, 24 hours after the vote, and 10 days after the vote.

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Continuity of Learning Plans

Learning will look different this year in every school and community. Instruction will occur across multiple settings and all schools must ensure that students are learning no matter the circumstance. Read our guidance to support continuity of learning.

Guide to Performance Frameworks

A guide to performance frameworks including evaluating for academics, finances, and overall organizational performance. This resource will help authorizers create a complete framework to use in annual reporting and ongoing monitoring.

Core Reporting Timeline

A sample timeline of reporting requirements that is designed to streamline the reporting process, strengthen oversight, and minimize the burden on schools.

Due Diligence Report Template

This report provides a summary of the information gathered during the due diligence investigation. Download and adapt this template based on your capacity and needs.

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Due Diligence Training Deck Template

Use this deck to train your staff on the process of due diligence. Download and adapt this deck based on your capacity and needs.

English Learners Toolkit

Guidance for authorizers’ oversight responsibility of English Language Learners and tools to evaluate ELL programs.

Evaluating Charter School Replicators

A guide to replication applications and the process of evaluating them.

Expanding What Works: Effective Authorizing Practices to Promote Quality Growth

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Expanding What Works: Examples of Authorizers Innovating to Promote Quality Growth

Expanding What Works: Practical Authorizing Policies to Promote Quality Growth

This PPT template can be easily adapted to ensure your reviewers are trained to carry out a rigorous and high-quality review

Fine Tuning Your Capacity Interviews

Tips on how to strengthen an established interview process.

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Intervention Protocols Guide

A guide to intervention protocols, what they are, when to use them, and possible consequences.

Keep Your Receipts Part 1: Financial Monitoring and Oversight

Our latest guidance provides tools for authorizers and charter schools to ensure high-quality financial oversight in the face of uncertainty. Together, we can ensure that students have the resources they need to learn, no matter the circumstance.

Keep Your Receipts Part 2: School Budgeting and Financial Planning

Keep Your Receipts Part 3: The Role of the Authorizer

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Maintaining Lottery Integrity During Times of Crisis

This guidance was developed to support authorizers in ensuring charter school lotteries are conducted with integrity and transparency in the best interests of students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Model Charter School Application

NACSA’s model charter school application which includes all of the vital portions of an application.

Multiple Measures Readiness Assessment

A tool designed to help authorizers and school leaders determine if they are prepared to embark on the work of evaluating non-traditional measures of school quality.

NACSA Principles and Standards

NACSA’s guide to formative development for charter authorizers at all stages and levels of experience.

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Pre-Opening Checklist

Sample checklist for authorizers to ensure new schools are ready to open.

Reinvigorating the Pipeline: Insights into Proposed and Approved Charter Schools

This first-ever look at the national charter school pipeline—what schools are being proposed and by whom—reveals a diverse sector, with a tremendous variety of applicants and school models.

Renewal Application and Guidance

A guide to creating a process for evaulation of renewal applications, including components, timelines, and questions to ask.

Replication Application Addendum

This addendum is required for any applicant seeking any of the following: approval for multiple schools; replication of existing schools/models, governance of multiple schools by a single board or school operation/management via contract with an ESP.

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Replication Application Evaluation Criteria Addendum

Best practices in evaluating replication applications including evaluating network management and current school performance.

Rethinking the New School Application- Recommendations

A set of recommendations developed to result in more high-quality, innovative schools led by those with ties to the lived experiences of students.

Revisiting School-Specific Goals: Guidance Handbook

Guidance Handbook for 2020-21 school-specific goals

Revisiting School-Specific Goals: Look Fors Quick Guide

Quick guide for authorizers on what to “look for” with revised school-specific goals

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Sample Capacity Interview Questions

Sample questions to ask during applicant capacity interviews.

Sample Closure Press Release

An authorizer’s decision to close a school will generate local media coverage. Use this sample press release to think through critical messages in advance of the closure, and efficiently distribute facts to control the narrative from the start.

Sample Parent Closure Letter

While schools should take the lead on communicating a closure to parents, it doesn’t always happen. In these cases, an authorizer must lead. Use this template to notify parents and guardians of the closure and important next steps in the closure process.

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Sample Performance Task: Finance

An adaptable tool for authorizers to use during capacity interviews to test the financial capabilities of the applicant group.

Sample Performance Task: Operations

An adaptable tool for authorizers to use during capacity interviews to test the operational and planning skills of the applicant group.

Sample Performance Task: School Leaders

Template exercises and scenarios to help test the collective skills of your applicant groups during the interview.

Sample Staff Closure Letter

Sample language for communicating with staff about school closure.

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Special Education Toolkit

Overview of special education requirements, authorizers’ oversight responsibility of special education students and programs, and discipline considerations for students with disabilities.

Supplemental Renewal Guidance

This guidance can help authorizers and schools think through how to adapt renewal decisions to the reality of what schooling has looked like in the U.S. since March 2020.

The Autonomy and Smart Regulation Project: An Overview of Findings

This 14-minute video provides an overview of NACSA’s research on autonomy and smart regulation. Learn the most common autonomy concerns voiced by authorizers and operators, as well as how the authorizing community can begin to lead on these issues.

The Quality Practice Project

Great authorizers—those with strong portfolios of charter schools—are moving the needle for their communities. But what exactly do these authorizers do differently to achieve stellar outcomes?

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Tips for Virtual Capacity Interviews

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, authorizers continue to navigate uncharted territory. This new guidance can help charter school authorizers develop a strategy for adapting capacity interview protocols and processes to a virtual environment –effectively.

Unchartered Waters: All Things Renewal Learning Digest

Unchartered Waters is a NACSA-led series of learning opportunities, focusing on a different aspect of authorizing each month. This Learning Digest recaps the activities focused on Renewal.

Unchartered Waters: Financial Oversight Learning Digest

Unchartered Waters is a NACSA-led series of learning opportunities, focusing on a different aspect of authorizing each month. This Learning Digest recaps the activities focused on Financial Oversight.

Unchartered Waters: New Schools Learning Digest

Unchartered Waters is a NACSA-led series of learning opportunities, focusing on a different aspect of authorizing each month. This Learning Digest recaps the activities focused on New Schools.

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Unchartered Waters: Project Management Learning Digest

Unchartered Waters is a NACSA-led series of learning opportunities, focusing on a different aspect of authorizing each month. This Learning Digest recaps the activities focused on Project Management.

Upholding Open Meetings Law in a Virtual World

This new guidance can help charter school authorizers ensure that school boards under their purview make necessary adjustments to protect public health while maintaining public transparency and trust through open governance activities.

Virtual Charter School Accountability: A Primer for Better Informed and More Effective Oversight

Learn how other authorizers hold virtual charter schools to the same high standards as other public schools.

Virtual Charter School Accountability: What We Can Do Now

Learn how other authorizers hold virtual charter schools to the same high standards as other public schools. Action steps you can take now.

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